Chapter Four: Heartfelt Words Unfold Amidst the Dust
"My father is General Yang Zhen of the Crimson Sky."
"What?" The two brothers exclaimed in unison. They looked at each other, seemingly filled with countless questions, but they held their breath and waited quietly for Yang Xiao to continue.
“I have never seen my family since I can remember.” Yang Xiao took a sip of tea and said casually, “According to the blood letter my father left me, my family suffered all kinds of oppression from treacherous officials. My mother died because of this, and the next pawn in the hands of these treacherous officials is me, who is not even a year old.”
"To save my life and to free Chixiao Prefecture from the control of treacherous officials, he tearfully entrusted me to his old friend who had been living in seclusion for many years. Since then, I have settled in Qingzhou with the old gentleman."
“So you’re not from Jiangnan,” Zhong Lishuo listened quietly, then suddenly looked at her with a realization, “No wonder you don’t have a Jiangnan accent at all.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao turned her head and smiled, then continued to explain in detail.
The Qi family of Qingzhou and the Yang family were old friends, and they lived in seclusion in the mountains, unknown to the world. So when Yang Zhen entrusted his orphan to someone, he didn't hesitate to bite his middle finger and write a letter, entrusting Yang Xiao to Mr. Qi so that she could have some peace.
Yang Xiao, who grew up in the Qi family, soon reached the age to read and write. If she were to become an apprentice, she should rightfully become an apprentice of Master Qi, but due to a series of unexpected events, she ended up becoming the apprentice of the eldest son, Qi Kun.
Qi Kun was well-versed in literature and military strategy, so teaching Yang Xiao was effortless for him. His younger brother, Qi Lu, was quick-witted and active, and also knew martial arts, so Yang Xiao received instruction in both literature and martial arts from a young age.
At dawn, I would rise with my martial uncle to practice various martial arts, and at night, I would accompany my master to embrace the moon and read through the ages. In my spare time, I would help with farm work and chat about the world, living a carefree life.
The arrival of the little girl brought much joy to the depths of the bamboo forest. She herself was lively and eager to learn, and in order to teach her, the two brothers, Qi Kun and Qi Lu, studied even harder, afraid that they might overlook something and hinder Yang Xiao's learning.
Mr. Qi saw this and was delighted. He doted on Yang Xiao as if she were his own daughter.
But she doesn't actually have the surname Qi. A fledgling bird venturing out into the world must eventually learn its own identity.
When Yang Xiao finally saw her father's blood-written letter, it was the first time she had felt such genuine hatred for that tyrannical emperor.
We always say that incompetent rulers are licentious and cruel, oppressing the people, but we never imagined they could do such despicable things to founding generals. Driven by pleasure and personal desires, he colluded with treacherous officials, killing or demoting loyal ministers. Day after day, chaos ensued, and it was only a matter of time.
In this way, it becomes unclear whether Xiao Yan's act of murdering the emperor was right or wrong.
While Yang Zhentu was safe and sound abroad, he and his son Yang Song dealt with and resisted the treacherous officials. They were even regarded as a thorn in the side by the tyrannical emperor and were exiled to the northern Qiang border, where they were stationed for eight years.
After reading the letter written in blood, Yang Xiao was filled with grief and anger. She hated this cannibalistic world and secretly blamed her father for not keeping her by his side to fight against this unjust world together.
"Later, I left home and traveled west alone. I know how many difficulties I encountered. When I was in Bingzhou and had nowhere to go, I was rescued by a theater called 'Lingyue Pavilion'. From then on, I lived in the theater to repay this kindness."
Zhong Li'an listened quietly, the tea in his hand long since gone cold without him noticing. He set the teacup aside, looked up at Yang Xiao, and asked, "Bingzhou is very close to Chang'an, so why did you come to Jiangnan?"
“Fate is cruel,” Yang Xiao laughed self-deprecatingly, downing the cooled tea in his cup in one gulp. “I thought Chang’an was within reach, but who knew that the foolish emperor would insist on breaking the alliance with the Northern Qiang, and those thousands of iron cavalry swept down the mountains and attacked Bingzhou. In the midst of the chaos of war, the Pavilion Master had no choice but to lead us south to seek refuge with friends in Jiangnan. As a result, I missed Chang’an and stayed in Jiangnan for three years.”
"This..." Upon hearing this, Zhong Lishuo slammed his hand on the table indignantly, while Zhong Li'an simply lowered his eyes and sighed, then got up, picked up a pot of hot tea, and poured it into Yang Xiao's cup.
"A loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise." Zhong Li'an pushed the teacup towards Yang Xiao and looked at her sincerely. "Besides, the overall situation is not yet settled, and there is still a chance to start over."
Yang Xiao bowed and accepted the teacup, nodding to Zhong Li'an. "Yes, every cloud has a silver lining. Xiao Yan killed that tyrant with a hairpin, seized power, but was surrounded by treacherous officials and had no one he could use. So he resorted to despicable means to imprison my father and order my brother to surrender."
Yang Xiao clenched her fist slightly, stood up and looked at the two of them firmly, "They think they can keep Chixiao Prefecture firmly under control with this, but they don't know that Yang Zhen has a daughter whom he has not seen for sixteen years. I am their only bargaining chip outside."
"Well said!" Zhong Lishuo couldn't help but stand up, stride over to Yang Xiao, and look at her with admiration in his eyes. "We should really curb Xiao Yan's arrogance and let her know that one person alone cannot control the entire situation."
“Brother!” Zhongli Shuo turned to look at Zhongli An, who had stood up, “With the help of someone as ambitious as Lingyu, how can we not succeed in our great undertaking?”
Zhong Li'an walked around from behind the table to the two of them, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yang Xiao, and said, "Young lady, your sincerity is evident in every word you utter, which is truly heartfelt and deeply moving. I admire you greatly."
"You flatter me, my lord," Yang Xiao returned the greeting to Zhong Li'an, "it was just a frank statement."
“Brother,” Zhongli Shuo frowned and looked anxiously at Zhongli An, “the capable person is right in front of you, what are you still hesitating about?”
Zhong Li'an closed his eyes, paused, looked at Yang Xiao, and sighed, "We are both descendants of loyal officials, how could we not understand what you are thinking? However..." He turned to look at the warm scenery outside the door, squinting as if stung by the sunlight, "Heroes are rising up all over the world, and I also wish to save the people from the turmoil, but..."
He turned to look at Yang Xiao and smiled helplessly, "I am a newly appointed governor, weak and powerless. What ability do I have to overturn the world's order? I am already exhausted after settling the people of the city. If I were to fight against others with my current strength, and were to be defeated, wouldn't that plunge the people of the city into misery? How could I then talk about protecting the country and its people?"
“You can’t just sit here and wait to die,” Zhongli Shuo said anxiously. “Jizhou is a strategic military location. If you don’t try to strengthen your power, someone else will take it. Won’t you still be doomed then? You say you’re weak and alone, but now there are capable people coming to join you. Why are you still hesitating?”
Zhong Li'an seemed to have been touched on a sore spot; his hands, hidden beneath his wide sleeves, clenched slightly into fists, then weakly relaxed.
Yang Xiao glanced at Zhong Li'an, who was frowning and silent, and then at Zhong Li Shuo, who was looking sullen beside her. She shook her head with a smile and said, "But it seems that Jizhou City is not completely unprepared."
Zhong Li'an's thoughts were immediately guessed. He looked up at Yang Xiao, paused, then chuckled softly, "What do you mean by that?"
"The people in the city were all in harmony, and when I met you two in front of the city, even though we had a dispute, the people did not flee at all. Instead, they curiously surrounded us. This shows that you two are as close to the people as family and have won their hearts."
Yang Xiao counted on her fingers and smiled at Zhong Li'an, "Leaving aside the excellent soldiers and the fat warhorses, how could I possibly ignore the recruitment notices you've posted all over the city?"
Zhong Li'an smiled and shook his head, "Even if my wings are not yet fully grown, how could I really sit idly by and wait for my doom?"
"Since Your Excellency also intends to test your skills across the land," Yang Xiao smiled at Zhong Li'an, "would you grant me an opportunity to create a great enterprise together with you?"
Zhong Li'an looked up and met Yang Xiao's sincere gaze, then smiled and nodded with satisfaction, "I couldn't be happier."
"Brother, really, wouldn't it have been better if you had done this earlier?" Zhongli Shuo laughed heartily, raising his hand to put his arm around Zhongli An's shoulder. "You scared me just now. I thought you were unwilling to send troops and were going to turn away Lingyu, who had come all the way from afar."
“How could that be?” Zhongli An smiled and raised the back of his hand to pat Zhongli Shuo’s shoulder. “I am suffering from a lack of help, so how could I treat a person of insight like this?”
"Look at how you think of the governor," Yang Xiao said with a relaxed smile as the atmosphere between the two had finally eased. "I've long heard that the governor is friendly and eager to find talented people. Even after becoming the governor, he has no airs at all. Meeting him today, I can confirm that it is true."
She looked up at Zhongli An and said, "The fact that I chose you, my lord, amidst the great waves shows that your reputation has already spread far and wide. With me coming to join you today, countless wise men will come to you in the future. At that time, why should we worry about the stability of the world?"
"Lingyu, you flatter me," Zhongli An chuckled and shook his head. "It is my greatest honor to have such a talented person like you come from afar to help me." He raised his eyes and looked at Yang Xiao with determination. "From now on, I will live up to your expectations. One day, I will conquer Chang'an and avenge our family and country together."
"To have met such a wise ruler is a great blessing for us, isn't it?" Yang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the still warm teacup.
“Lingyu, we’ve already called him a ‘wise ruler’,” Zhongli Shuo said to Yang Xiao, teasingly, “Why haven’t you changed your tune yet?”
Yang Xiao suddenly realized and looked at Zhong Li'an. She put down her teacup, stood up, and smiled at Zhong Li'an, "Please accept my bow, my lord."
“Lingyu, there’s no need for this,” Zhongli An quickly pulled Yang Xiao back from kneeling. “We both have lofty ambitions and are fortunate to meet each other from afar. Why be bound by formalities? Lord and subject are merely roles, not positions. You trust me so much; how can the bond between us be defined by the so-called lord and subject?”
"This..." Yang Xiao looked up at Zhong Li'an, gazing into those clear and sincere eyes like a still pool, and was immediately filled with emotion. "I will never forget how you have treated me, my lord. I am grateful for your kindness and am willing to dedicate all my knowledge to working with you on our great cause."
Zhongli Shuo looked at the two of them with deep emotion and nodded approvingly. "In that case, brother, quickly bring out your strategy for establishing a business and defeating the enemy. I've been waiting for so long."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li'an couldn't help but smile. "Now that Lingyu has come to seek refuge, it has relieved my worries."
After speaking, he took out the prepared map from behind the cabinet and handed it to the two of them, saying, "The strategy for establishing a business is right here."
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